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Peng Shuai reappears in Beijing, WTA not reassured

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China’s Peng Shuai serving during a match at the Australian Open on January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

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BEIJING, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have been a matter of international concern for weeks, attended a tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, according to official photos published by the tournament organised by China Open.

Peng can be seen among guests at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals, dressed in a dark blue jacket and white trousers, according to the pictures published on the event’s official WeChat page.

The former doubles world number one had not been seen or heard from publicly since she said on Chinese social media on Nov. 2 that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

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Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on her allegation. Peng’s social media post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet.

World tennis bodies have expressed concern, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) threatening to pull tournaments out of China. The United States and Britain have called for evidence of Peng’s whereabouts and safety.

The photographs and video footage of Peng that emerged on Sunday remain “insufficient” and do not address the WTA’s concerns, a spokesperson for the group told Reuters by email.

The U.S. and British embassies in Beijing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on her reappearance.

The issue of Peng’s safety and whereabouts has emerged as China prepares to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February amid calls from global rights groups and others for a boycott over its human rights record.

A photo of Peng at the Fila tournament was also posted on Twitter by Ding Li, a senior executive of Global D-Sports, a company which corporate information app Tianyancha says organises sport events and manages athletes.

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Ding, who told Reuters he was a long-time friend of Peng’s, said her phone is always switched on, so the WTA could just call her. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon, however, told Time magazine last week that the organisation had tried to contact her through various means.

Ding said Peng was not accepting foreign media interviews as she received many calls after Simon had sent an email to her assistant that contained her contact information, and copied a number of people in his message.

The WTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that email. Twitter is blocked in China.

On Saturday night, Peng visited a popular restaurant in downtown Beijing for a meal Ding attended, according to photos he posted on Twitter. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-backed Global Times reposted a video of the outing, which a restaurant manager confirmed to Reuters on Sunday.

Seven people including Peng were at the Sichuanese restaurant, said the manager, Zhou Hongmei, adding that they ate in a private room and were joined by the restaurant’s owner.

“It was crowded at the restaurant as usual,” Zhou said, showing a bill that included noodles and bamboo shoots. “They didn’t have much. I think they mostly chatted.”

Searches on Chinese platforms for social media posts on Peng’s allegations continued to yield no results on Sunday. On some video-sharing websites like Bilibili, Peng’s name was also not found in searches. Some old videos featuring Peng could still be found, but access to their comments sections was locked.

Chinese state media outlet CGTN on Wednesday released what it said was an email Peng had sent to WTA’s Simon, in which she said the allegation of assault was untrue. Simon said at the time he had a hard time believing that Peng herself had written the email.

Hu of the Global Times also tweeted Peng’s Sunday appearance at the tennis tournament. The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party.

Videos posted by Hu and a Global Times reporter showed her smiling, waving and signing autographs for children.

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Reporting by Brenda Goh, Sophie Yu, Yew Lun Tian, Gabriel Crossley and Ryan Woo; Editing by William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Sports

Chinese state media claims to show new video clips of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai

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“I acquired two video clips, which show Peng Shuai was having dinner with her coach and friends in a restaurant,” wrote Hu Xijin, who is the editor of Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times. “The video content clearly shows they are shot on Saturday Beijing time.”

CNN cannot independently verify the two video clips or when they were filmed.

China has been facing pressure from the United Nations over Peng’s whereabouts as the organization called for an investigation into her allegations of sexual assault.

The White House also said on Friday it is “deeply concerned” about Peng’s safety.

Peng, who is one of China’s most recognizable sports stars, had accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2.

Peng’s post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, was deleted within 30 minutes of publication, with Chinese censors moving swiftly to wipe out any mention of the accusation online. Her Weibo account, which has more than half a million followers, is still blocked from searchers on the platform.

The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Steve Simon has said he is willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business in China if Peng is not fully accounted for and her allegations are not properly investigated.

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Sports

Peng Shuai: WTA Chairman Steve Simon willing to pull out of China if tennis star not accounted for

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“We’re definitely willing to pull our business and deal with all the complications that come with it,” Simon said in an interview Thursday with CNN. “Because this is certainly, this is bigger than the business,” added Simon.

“Women need to be respected and not censored,” said Simon.

Peng, who is one of China’s most recognizable sports stars, has not been seen in public since she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2.

Her post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, was deleted within 30 minutes of publication, with Chinese censors moving swiftly to wipe out any mention of the accusation online. Her Weibo account, which has more than half a million followers, is still blocked from searchers on the platform.

The forceful intervention from Simon puts the tennis chief on a likely collision course with authorities in China, which have so far refused to publicly acknowledge Peng’s allegations. Perceived criticisms of China, which is also due to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February, have previously resulted in significant public and political backlash, as well as loss of access.

Simon said the WTA had been in conversation with counterparts at the Chinese Tennis Association, who had provided assurances Peng was unharmed in Beijing. However, attempts to reach Peng directly had proved unsuccessful.

“We have reached out to her on every phone number and email address and other forms of contact,” he said. “There’s so many digital approaches to contact people these days that we have, and to date we still have not been able to get a response.”

Earlier this week, Chinese state-media released an email, purportedly sent to Simon from Peng, walking back her allegations and claiming she is fine.

The alleged email was released only on English-language platforms and domestic Chinese media have not reported on its contents, despite Peng being a household name in China.

When asked about the email, Simon questioned its veracity, describing it as a “staged statement of some type,” noting he had yet to receive a follow up reply, despite responding immediately.

“Whether she was coerced into writing it, someone wrote it for her, we don’t know,” said Simon. “But at this point I don’t think there’s any validity in it and we won’t be comfortable until we have a chance to speak with her,” he added.

Tennis’ popularity in China has grown rapidly over the past few decades, with several Chinese players breaking into the global rankings. The women’s game, in particular, is a big market, thanks in part to the success of Chinese tennis star Li Na, who in 2011 became Asia’s first grand slam singles tennis champion when she won the French Open, followed by a second major title at the 2014 Australian Open.

In recent years, the WTA has made a big push into China. In 2019, the WTA Finals relocated from Singapore to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, entering into a lengthy ten year deal.

In an interview with the New York Times from 2018, Simon described the arrangement with authorities in Shenzhen, which reportedly includes the construction of a new multimillion dollar tennis stadium, as a “huge opportunity” for women’s tennis in China.

“When you factor in the commitment to prize money and the commitments to the WTA, and you factor in the stadium build and real-estate elements, it’s over a $1 billion dollar commitment they have made to the WTA Finals and the WTA,” Simon was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, Serena Williams joined a growing number of international tennis players to voice concern over Peng’s whereabouts.
“I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible,” Williams wrote on Twitter. “This must be investigated and we must not stay silent.”

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka on Tuesday said she was “in shock of the current situation.”

“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK,” she wrote as part of a statement on Twitter alongside the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.
The controversy risks impacting the forthcoming 2022 Winter Olympics, which are set to kick off in Beijing in less than three months. Calls for a boycott have been growing in recent months, owing to concerns over China’s alleged human rights abuses. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden confirmed he is mulling a diplomatic boycott of the event.

The international concern for Peng, who is a three-time Olympian, having represented China at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, London in 2012, and Beijing in 2008, could now strengthen those calls.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would not comment on the matter and suggested “quiet diplomacy” should be approached, Reuters reported.

“Experience shows that quiet diplomacy offers the best opportunity to find a solution for questions of such nature,” an IOC spokesperson said on Thursday according to Reuters. “This explains why the IOC will not comment any further at this stage.”

CNN has reached out to the IOC for comment.

Human Rights Watch accused the IOC of being “silent on the Olympian’s disappearance.” In a statement, the global rights group said it is “astonishing that the IOC would accept the government’s assurances, particularly at the expense of a female Olympian making grave allegations.”

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Peng’s accusation is not a diplomatic issue and declined to comment further.



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Sports

China state media release supposed message from Peng Shuai

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China’s state-controlled media on Wednesday released a purported email from tennis star Peng Shuai, who has not been seen since accusing a Communist Party leader of sexual abuse more than two weeks ago.

Tennis officials have doubted the veracity of the email released by CGTN, in which Peng walked back her assault accusations while adding she was “resting at home and everything is fine.”

Women’s Tennis Association Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said he didn’t think the two-time Grand Slam champion wrote the missive.

“The statement released today by Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts,” Simon said in a written statement.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her.”

Peng, 35, wrote on Weibo on Nov. 2 that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli pressured her into having sex before they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

“Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you?” she alleged, according to screenshots of the post. “I never gave consent, crying the entire time.”

“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse. Every day I was acting, which person is the real me?”

Peng Shuai wrote on Weibo on Nov. 2 that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli pressured her into having sex.
© Savostyanov Sergei/TASS via ZUMA Press

Her statement was deleted from the Chinese social media site 30 minutes later and she has not been seen or heard from since, as state censors scrubbed mentions of the accusation from the platform.

“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” Simon wrote. “I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.”

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka wrote on Twitter Tuesday that she was “in shock of the current situation.”

Naomi Osaka said she was “in shock of the current situation.”
ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK,” Osaka wrote, adding the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.

Billie Jean King and Chris Evert also weighed in on the plight of the missing star in recent days.

“I’ve known Peng since she was 14; we should all be concerned; this is serious; where is she? Is she safe? Any information would be appreciated,” Evert tweeted.

Former tennis player Billie Jean King also weighed in on the plight of Peng Shuai.
Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images

“Hoping that Peng Shuai is found safe and that her accusations are fully investigated,” King said.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Weibo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, a spokesman said the issue was “not a question related to foreign affairs.”

With Post wires



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World

China state media release attributed to Peng Shuai raises WTA ‘concerns’

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BEIJING — The head of the women’s professional tennis tour questioned the legitimacy of what Chinese state media said was a retraction by a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault.

WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Wednesday that a statement attributed to Peng Shuai and tweeted out by CGTN, the international arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV — which said it contained the contents of an email she wrote to Simon — “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.”

Peng is a 35-year-old from China and a former No. 1-ranked player in women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

She wrote in a lengthy social media post earlier this month that a former vice premier and member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals.

The post was removed from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, and the country’s state-controlled media has suppressed all reporting on the case.

Simon called Sunday for a full investigation and demanded that Peng not be censored. Those expressing concern about the case and Peng’s safety also have included ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

A statement attributed to Peng by CGTN on Wednesday included a reference to her allegation being “not true.”

As the overseas arm of state broadcaster CCTV, CGTN is among the numerous propaganda tools wielded by the ruling Communist Party in an attempt to sway foreign opinion. It has been sanctioned on numerous occasions by British TV regulator Ofcom for airing forced confessions by a British businessman, a Hong Kong bookseller and an employee of the UK consulate in Hong Kong.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” Simon said. “Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against a former top official in the Chinese government. The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe. I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.”

Simon’s statement, released by the WTA, continued: “Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source. Her allegation of sexual assault must be respected, investigated with full transparency and without censorship. The voices of women need to be heard and respected, not censored nor dictated to.”

Peng wrote that Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals following a round of tennis three years ago. She said Zhang’s wife guarded the door during the incident.

Her post also said they had sex once seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that.

As is usual for retired Chinese officials, the 75-year-old Zhang dropped from public sight after his retirement in 2018 and is not known to have any intimate professional or political connections to current leaders.

Peng won 23 tour-level doubles titles and was a singles semifinalist at the 2014 U.S Open. She hasn’t competed on tour since the Qatar Open in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced tennis to take a hiatus.

Peng also participated in three Olympics. The International Olympic Committee and China are organizing the Beijing Winter Games starting Feb. 4; the IOC said Wednesday that it has seen news reports about Peng and is in touch with the International Tennis Federation.

Her accusation was the first against a prominent government official since the #MeToo movement took hold in China in 2018 before being largely shut down by authorities the same year.

In response to a question at Wednesday’s daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he had no knowledge of Peng’s situation.

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Sports

Peng Shuai: Naomi Osaka joins chorus of international concern for Chinese tennis star

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“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK. I’m in shock of the current situation and I’m sending love and light her way,” Osaka said as part of a Twitter statement on Tuesday.

She included the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.

Peng, one of China’s most recognizable tennis stars, accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home three years ago, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2.

Peng’s post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, was deleted within 30 minutes of publication, with Chinese censors moving swiftly to wipe out any mention of the accusation online.

Peng has not been seen in public since the accusation and her whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed. Her Weibo account, which has more than half a million followers, is still blocked from searchers on the platform.

A growing number of international athletes have expressed concern for Peng. Tennis legend and 39 time Grand Slam championship-winner Billie Jean King said on Twitter, “Hoping that Peng Shuai is found safe and that her accusations are fully investigated.”

And former world No.1 Chris Evert said, “these accusations are very disturbing.”

“I’ve known Peng since she was 14; we should all be concerned; this is serious; where is she? Is she safe? Any information would be appreciated,” she said in a post on Twitter.

On Sunday, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) called on the Chinese government to investigate the allegations, insisting the former top-ranked doubles player should be “heard, not censored.”
In a statement, WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Peng’s accusations were of “deep concern” adding the allegations must be investigated “fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship.”

“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored,” Simon said. “Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”

The ATP Tour, a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men, said in a statement Monday it was “encouraged by the recent assurances received by WTA that (Peng) is safe and accounted for and will continue to monitor the situation closely.” No further details were provided as to the veracity of the assurances — or who provided them.

“Separately, we stand in full support of WTA’s call for a full, fair and transparent investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Peng Shuai,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in the statement.

Zhang, 75, served on the ruling Communist Party’s seven person Politiburo Standing Committee — the country’s supreme leadership body — from 2012 to 2017 during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first term in power. He retired as vice premier in 2018.

In the post, which reads as an open letter to Zhang, the 35-year-old tennis star alleges a relationship over an intermittent period that spanned at least 10 years.

“Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you?” she wrote.

Peng said she did not have evidence to prove her allegations, and claimed Zhang was always worried that she would record things.

“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse,” wrote Peng.

CNN cannot independently verify Peng’s post, and has reached out to both her and China’s State Council, which handles press inquires for the central government, for comment.

Former top ranking Czech American tennis player Martina Navratilova said she supported the WTA’s call for an investigation. “A very strong stance by the WTA — and the correct stance,” she wrote on Twitter.



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Sports

Peng Shuai: WTA calls on China to investigate Zhang Gaoli sexual assault allegations

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Peng, one of China’s most recognizable tennis stars, accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home three years ago, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2.

Peng’s post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, was deleted within 30 minutes of publication, with Chinese censors moving swiftly to wipe out any mention of the accusation online.

Peng has not been seen in public since the accusation and her whereabouts are unknown. Her Weibo account, which has more than half a million followers, is still blocked from searchers on the platform.

In a statement, WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Peng’s accusations were of “deep concern” adding the allegations must be investigated “fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship.”

“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored,” Simon said. “Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”

Zhang, 75, served on the ruling Communist Party’s seven person Politiburo Standing Committee — the country’s supreme leadership body — from 2012 to 2017 during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first term in power. He retired as vice premier in 2018.

In the post, which reads as an open letter to Zhang, the 35-year-old tennis star alleges a relationship over an intermittent period that spanned at least 10 years.

“Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you?” she wrote.

Peng said she did not have evidence to prove her allegations, and claimed Zhang was always worried that she would record things.

“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse,” wrote Peng.

CNN cannot independently verify Peng’s post, and has reached out to both her and China’s State Council, which handles press inquires for the central government, for comment.

In the WTA statement, Simon praised Peng for “her remarkable courage and strength” in coming forward.

“Women around the world are finding their voices so injustices can be corrected,” he said.

Former top ranking Czech American tennis player Martina Navratilova said she supported the WTA’s call for an investigation. “A very strong stance by the WTA — and the correct stance,” she wrote on Twitter.

The swift censorship of Peng’s post in China stands in stark contrast to the response to other recent #MeToo cases, including the rape allegations against Canadian-Chinese pop star Kris Wu.

That scandal was allowed to gain huge traction on social media, dominating top trending topics on Weibo for days, while state media amplified the accusation, censuring Wu for his moral decadence.

One of China’s most high-profile #MeToo cases involved an intern who took a prominent host at state broadcaster CCTV to court, accusing him of groping and forcibly kissing her in 2014.

A court said in September that there was insufficient evidence and ruled against the plaintiff.



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World

China’s Peng Shuai Makes #MeToo Claim Against Zhang Gaoli

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An economist by education, Mr. Zhang, now 75, rose through the ranks of the party and government. He served as governor of Shandong, the coastal province, and then as party secretary in Tianjin, the provincial-level port city on the Bohai Sea. As vice premier from 2013 to 2018, he was one of seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, headed then, as now, by China’s leader, Xi Jinping.

“I know that for someone of your eminence, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, you’ve said that you’re not afraid,” Ms. Peng wrote in her post, “but even if it’s just me, like an egg hitting a rock, or a moth to the flame, courting self-destruction, I’ll tell the truth about you.”

Women in media, at universities and in the private sector in China have all come forward with accusations of sexual assault and harassment — only to face pushback in the courts and censorship online.

In China, many women say, there remains an ingrained patriarchal tradition of using positions in business or government to gain sexual favors from subordinates or other women. In 2016, the country’s top prosecuting agency listed the exchange of “power for sex recklessly” as one of six traits of senior officials accused of corruption.

The accuser in another high-profile harassment case, Zhou Xiaoxuan, posted a note expressing sympathy for Ms. Peng, illustrating how widely the accusation became known despite the censorship. “I hope she’s safe and sound,” she wrote.

Ms. Zhou, who in 2018 accused a prominent television anchor of sexual harassment four years earlier, emerged as a trailblazer of China’s fledgling #MeToo movement and also a victim of the social and legal challenges women who come forward face. In September, a court in Beijing ruled that she had “tendered insufficient evidence” to prove her case against the anchor, Zhu Jun, who has sued her for slander.

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